Mount St. Mary’s Elijah Long, in blue, lays up a shot as Minnesota’s Reggie Lynch defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

On a sleepy school night in Dinkytown, the Gophers faced the threat of being lulled into a trap against their least inspiring foe of the season.

But with their lead shrinking early in the second half, sophomore Jordan Murphy sparked a previously lethargic Williams Arena with back to back dunks sandwiched by a defensive block at the three point line in a sequence that spanned 23 seconds.

When the Gophers needed a spark in their 80-56 win Wednesday night, Murphy provided it with his first big night of the young season, looking more like the standout he was as a freshman last season.

After a sluggish opening two games, Murphy was the best player on the court Wednesday, posting a game-high 18 points on 8 of 9 shooting to go with 12 rebounds to lead the Gophers past Mount St. Mary’s.

“He was good. And he would’ve been great if he made his free throws,” said Richard Pitino of the forward who missed five of seven from the stripe. “But he rebounded the ball well. … He had a really good night.

Against the Northeast Conference foe, this wasn’t a game that was going to foretell how the Gophers will play the rest of this season.

But with more to lose than gain Wednesday night, the Gophers easily handled the inferior opponent.

They led for the final 37 minutes of the 40 minute game.

But perhaps most importantly, the Gophers didn’t slow after an impressive win over a quietly talented Texas-Arlington team Monday night, improving to 3-0 for the first time since Pitino’s inaugural 2013-14 season.

“Coach stressed it a lot in practice and before to not look past any opponent,” junior guard Nate Mason said. “Just respect every opponent that comes through. We know that anybody can beat anybody.”

While Mason, Amir Coffey, Reggie Lynch and Dupree McBrayer had all impressed the first two games, Murphy had been the lone starter without a breakout contest despite serving as the team’s best player for long stretches last season.

Wednesday, though, Murphy was as dominant as ever, completing his double-double before the second half was halfway over.

He outpaced his 17 combined points through the first two games and added two assists to his totals Wednesday night, though he downplayed the breakthrough.

“I was just happy we won to be honest. It’s not really how I do individually,” Murphy said while Mason, seated next to him, smiled.

“You can tell Murphy is growing up a little bit just by that statement,” Mason said.

Again, the Gophers were varied in their offensive attack with five players notching double digit points each game this season.

McBrayer continued his strong start to the season with a perfect shooting night, totaling 13 points. Mason added 13 points as well and Akeem Springs contributed 10 off the bench.

While this team isn’t going to win games with long range shots, they again dominated near the rim.

They outrebounded Mount St. Mary’s 46-25 and scored 40 points in the paint, expanding their lead to 27 points at one point in front of the crowd of 7,940.

That made up for a slow start against a lesser opponent, though the Gophers made amends in a game that could’ve been a trap sandwiched between two bigger contests.

“I told them it’s human nature to do that,” Pitino said of looking toward Friday’s battle against St. John’s of the Big East. “That’s OK. Everyone is going to do that. Recognize it and overcome it. Because it’s going to happen. … We should never overlook any opponent. And I don’t think our team overlooked them at all.”

Chad Graff joined the Pioneer Press in April of 2013 -- long enough to cover three straight Wild playoff exits at the hands of the Blackhawks -- after working for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Boston Globe. He's lived in California and Texas, but most recently spent a decade in New Hampshire. He watched New England fans celebrate seven championships in his time there, yet somehow his only sports allegiance lies with Nebraska football.

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